In 1950, I attended a lecture in Boston given by Dr. Honor Smith of Oxford University
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the world's second-oldest university in continuous operation after the University of Bologna. It grew …
Hugh Cairns, 1st Earl Cairns
Hugh McCalmont Cairns, 1st Earl Cairns PC was an Irish-born British statesman who served as Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain during the first two ministries of Benjamin Disraeli. He was one of the most prominent Conservative statesmen in the House of Lords during this period of Victorian po…
Full Answer
What is the history of the treatment of meningitis?
During the second half of the 1950s serous meningitis and other enterovirus-induced diseases played one of the leading roles in human pathology in the world. Since the introduction of oral poliomyelitis vaccine (OPV) into wide medical practice from the beginning of the 1960s and during the subsequen …
How has the advent of antimicrobial therapy affected bacterial meningitis?
Abstract. Few diseases have been affected more by the advent of antimicrobial therapy than bacterial meningitis. From its recognition in 1805 to the early 20th century, bacterial meningitis was deadly. The 1940s brought the advent of effective drug therapy. Bacterial meningitis remains common today with growing drug resistance to the disease organisms complicating antibiotic …
Who described meningitis in his work?
May 16, 2000 · In 1950, I attended a lecture in Boston given by Dr. Honor Smith of Oxford University. Working with neurosurgeon Sir Hugh Cairns, he had treated children with tubercular meningitis successfully using a combination of purified protein derivative of the tubercle bacillus (PPD) and streptomycin, both intrathecally and intramuscularly.
What are the treatment options for meningitis?
in the 1950s and 1960s, meningococcal disease strains resistant to sulfonamides began to emerge, prompting a change in treatment protocols to include the use of antibiotics such as penicillin and chloramphenicol. 16 while penicillin can still be used to treat the disease, medical experts currently consider cephalosporins the antibiotic of choice …
How was meningitis treated in the past?
Direct injection of horse antiserum into the cerebral spinal fluid became the main therapy for meningococcal meningitis and was the first effective treatment. In the First World War it saved many lives. In 1935, sulphonamides (an agent that kills bacteria) became the treatment of choice for meningococcal meningitis.Jul 21, 2020
When did they start giving shots for meningitis?
The meningococcal conjugate vaccine or MCV4 was approved in 2005.Oct 7, 2020
When did the cure for meningitis come out?
Modern treatments changed with the discovery of penicillin in 1941. The advent of antibiotics revolutionised treatment of meningitis and other bacterial diseases.
How was meningococcal treated?
Doctors treat meningococcal disease with a number of antibiotics. It is important that treatment start as soon as possible. If a doctor suspects meningococcal disease, they will give the person antibiotics right away. Antibiotics help reduce the risk of dying.
Can you vaccinate against meningitis?
The meningitis B vaccine is a vaccine that offers protection against meningococcal group B bacteria, which are a common cause of meningitis in young children in the UK. The vaccine is recommended for babies aged 8 weeks, followed by a second dose at 16 weeks and a booster at 1 year.
What is the new recommendation for meningitis vaccinations?
Adolescents and young adults. The ACIP recommends routine administration of a MenACWY vaccine for all people ages 11-18. The recommended schedule consists of a single dose of MenACWY administered at 11 or 12 years followed by a booster dose at age 16.Oct 7, 2020
How did meningitis start?
Bacteria that enter the bloodstream and travel to the brain and spinal cord cause acute bacterial meningitis. But it can also occur when bacteria directly invade the meninges. This may be caused by an ear or sinus infection, a skull fracture, or — rarely — some surgeries.Oct 1, 2020
Has there ever been an outbreak of meningitis?
Outbreaks of meningococcal disease are rare in the United States. In fact, only about 1 in 20 cases is related to outbreaks. However, outbreaks are unpredictable and the outcomes can be devastating to affected communities and organizations.
Can you survive bacterial meningitis?
Bacterial meningitis is serious. Some people with the infection die and death can occur in as little as a few hours. However, most people recover from bacterial meningitis. Those who do recover can have permanent disabilities, such as brain damage, hearing loss, and learning disabilities.Jul 15, 2021
How do you get meningococcal sepsis?
People spread meningococcal bacteria to other people by sharing respiratory and throat secretions (saliva or spit). Generally, it takes close (for example, coughing or kissing) or lengthy contact to spread these bacteria. Fortunately, they are not as contagious as germs that cause the common cold or the flu.
Are meningitis and meningococcal the same thing?
Meningitis and meningococcal disease are not the same thing. Neither of these types of meningitis can be called meningococcal disease. There are also non-infectious causes of meningitis, such as traumatic brain or spinal cord injury.
What age group is at highest risk for contracting meningitis?
Infants, teens and young adults, and older adults have the highest rates of meningococcal disease in the United States.
How many meningococcal cases were there in 1943?
In 1943, there were 18,223 reported cases of meningococcal disease, however, by 1950, the disease rate had significantly decreased with only 3,788 reported cases. 14. In 1952, public health officials reported infants to be four times more likely than school children and adults to develop meningococcal disease and that the disease was more likely ...
Which desert has the most meningitis cases?
The sub-Saharan desert, an area stretching from Ethiopia in the east to Senegal in the west, has historically accounted for the highest number of meningococcal meningitis cases worldwide. Often referred to as the meningitis belt, WHO reports that approximately 30,000 cases occur annually.
When did sulfonamides start being used?
In the latter part of the 1930s, researchers began experimenting with sulfonamides as a potential treatment for meningococcal disease. Certain experiments involved the use of a sulfonamide such as sulfanilamide or sulfapyridine alone, or administered along with horse antiserum. Public health officials reported that the use ...
Who first described meningitis?
Hippocrates described meningitis in his work. Tuberculous meningitis was first described by Edinburgh physician Sir Robert Whytt in a posthumous report that appeared in 1768.
When was penicillin first used?
History of antibiotics. In 1944, penicillin was first reported to be effective in meningitis. The first successful treatment of meningitis began with the introduction of serum therapy for meningococcal meningitis by Georg Joachmann (1874-1915) in Germany and Simon Flexner (1863-1946) in America.
What is the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices?
In 2000, an Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), a part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), recommended that colleges and universities inform all students and their parents about the risk of meningococcal disease and the availability of a vaccine.
When did the first epidemic occur in Africa?
Several other epidemics in Europe and the United States were described shortly afterward. In Africa the first outbreak was described in 1840. African epidemics became much more common in the 20th century. The first major one was reported in Nigeria and Ghana in 1905–1908.
What is the first treatment for meningitis?
Giving antibiotics to people with significant exposure to certain types of meningitis may also be useful. The first treatment in acute meningitis consists of promptly giving antibiotics and sometimes antiviral drugs. Corticosteroids can also be used to prevent complications from excessive inflammation.
When is Meningitis Day?
World Meningitis Day is observed on 24 April each year.
What is the most common cause of meningitis in Africa?
The most common fungal meningitis is cryptococcal meningitis due to Cryptococcus neoformans. In Africa, cryptococcal meningitis is now the most common cause of meningitis in multiple studies, and it accounts for 20–25% of AIDS-related deaths in Africa.
What disease did Charlotte Cleverley-Bisman have?
Charlotte Cleverley-Bisman developed severe meningococcal meningitis as a young child; in her case, the petechial rash progressed to gangrene and required amputation of all limbs. She survived the disease and became a poster child for a meningitis vaccination campaign in New Zealand.
What is the name of the inflammation of the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord?
Meningitis. Meninges of the central nervous system: dura mater, arachnoid mater, and pia mater. Meningitis is an acute inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, known collectively as the meninges. The most common symptoms are fever, headache, and neck stiffness.
How to prevent meningitis?
In cases of meningococcal meningitis, preventative treatment in close contacts with antibiotics (e.g. rifampicin, ciprofloxacin or ceftriaxone) can reduce their risk of contracting the condition, but does not protect against future infections. Resistance to rifampicin has been noted to increase after use, which has caused some to recommend considering other agents. While antibiotics are frequently used in an attempt to prevent meningitis in those with a basilar skull fracture there is not enough evidence to determine whether this is beneficial or harmful. This applies to those with or without a CSF leak.
What causes meningitis?
Meningitis is typically caused by an infection with microorganisms. Most infections are due to viruses, with bacteria, fungi, and protozoa being the next most common causes. It may also result from various non-infectious causes. The term aseptic meningitis refers to cases of meningitis in which no bacterial infection can be demonstrated. This type of meningitis is usually caused by viruses but it may be due to bacterial infection that has already been partially treated, when bacteria disappear from the meninges, or pathogens infect a space adjacent to the meninges (e.g. sinusitis ). Endocarditis (an infection of the heart valves which spreads small clusters of bacteria through the bloodstream) may cause aseptic meningitis. Aseptic meningitis may also result from infection with spirochetes, a group of bacteria that includes Treponema pallidum (the cause of syphilis) and Borrelia burgdorferi (known for causing Lyme disease ). Meningitis may be encountered in cerebral malaria (malaria infecting the brain) or amoebic meningitis, meningitis due to infection with amoebae such as Naegleria fowleri, contracted from freshwater sources.
History of The Organisms Causing Meningitis
History of Clinical Features of Meningitis
- By the end of 19th century more symptoms of the condition were described. The symptoms of meningitis were described in 1884 by Russian physician Vladimir Kernig (1840-1917) in 1899 and by Polish physician Jozef Brudzinski (1874-1917). The signs were thus called Kernig’s sign and Brudzinski sign in 1882 and 1909 respectively. By the second half of the 20th century influenza v…
History of Vaccines
- It was in 1906 that researchers noted that horses could be used to create antibodies against meningococcal bacteria. This was developed further by the American scientist Simon Flexner and markedly decreased mortality from meningococcal disease. The introduction in the late 20th century of ''Haemophilus'' vaccines led to a decline in meningitis due to Hemophillus influenza ty…
History of Antibiotics
- In 1944, penicillin was first reported to be effective in meningitis. The first successful treatment of meningitis began with the introduction of serum therapy for meningococcal meningitis by Georg Joachmann (1874-1915) in Germany and Simon Flexner (1863-1946) in America. Antibiotic therapy began in the 20th century with the use of sulfonamides by ...
Other Advances in The Treatment of Meningitis
- In 2002, evidence emerged that treatment with steroids could improve the prognosis of bacterial meningitis. This also revolutionized therapy of meningitis and improved long term outcome of the condition. In 2000, an Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), a part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), recommended that colleges and universities i…
Further Reading